Rotating drying apparatus



Dec. 8, 1931. J. B. vERNAY 1,835,730

Romane 1mm@ APPARATUs Filed nec. 21, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 1 H N A 78 i.

Inl/en 601'.

Jean Bap is e wrang.

Hofney.

ROTATING DRYING APPARATUS med neo. 2i, 1929 2 sheets-sheet a a 2"# 74. f wilttomey 7,3m

Patented Dec.- 8, 1931 i UNITED. STATES PATENT OFFICE JEAN BAPTISTE vnniur, or mnnunaamm rnANcn RDTATING DBYDIG APPARATUS Application filed December 21, 1929, Serial 30.415.748, and in France December 21, 1928.

This invention refers to a rotating-drying apparatus capable of working under vacuum, of the kind described in my prior U. S. Letters Patents Nos. 1,628,481 and 1,681,690 and it has more particularly'for its object improved means for introducing the paste to be dried into the apparatus, for heating this paste and lfor adjusting the axial position .of the rotating parts.

In the annexed drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of the apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a section on line II--II of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged partial section on line III-III of Fig. 2.

Figs. 4 and 5 are partial sections on lines IV-IV and V-V of Fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged partial section on line VI-VI of Fig. 4. f

Fig. 7 shows the end-thrust supporting 20 member.

' Fig. 8 is an enlarged view of an adjusting roller. .c

The apparatus comprises a tight casing formed of two ends or covers 1 and 2 and of 25 a cylindrical body 3. Stays 4 connect the covers together. y A xed cylinder 5 is supported within the casing. co-axiallywith the same; this cylinder is provided with a double-wall whi'ch is used for steam-heating by means of tubes 6 and 7.

The rotatable unit or rotor is co-axial with cylinder 5 and exterior to the same. It comprises two end-plates 8 and 9 supporting a cylinder 10 anda conical member 11. Each end plate is made of two concentric rings connected by radial arms. and it is rotatably supported and' guided within the casing by 46 six rollers 12 loose on journals ixed to the cover 1 or 2. AMember 11 is supported by the smaller rings. whilst cylinder .5 isl supported by the greater ones'. Member 11 is provided with peilforations 13: cylinder 1() is not perforated and it is provided with an internal helical. guide '14. ,f/

The smaller ring ofend-plate 8 is toothed at...15\a`nd rotates infront of a fixed toothed part 16 integral with cover 1, parts 15 and 16 50 thus forming a crushing set. I

Cylinder 5 containsan internal rotatable helical guide 17.

The material is introduced into cylinder 5. It is directed toward the rear end of the latter b the rotation of the helical guide 17. 6l and alls therefrom through an opening 18 onto the inner surface of conical member 11. It is then directed by gravity toward the crushing set 15-16 and-falls therefrom onto the inner face of cylinder 10. It then travels ff. toward the rear end of said cylinder under the action of guide 14 and falls into the outlet duct 19. lThe smaller particles which rapidly dry and need no crushing, fall directly from member 11 onto cylinder 10 66 through perforations 13. The way of the material, in Fig. 2, is clearly illustrated by arrows.

' The feeding device is supported by a casing 20. It comprises two ixed"plates 21 10 and 22 (Figs. 2 and 3) andra fixed cylindrical wall 24, the whole thus enclosing a chamber 23. Two rotatable plates 25 and 26 arearranged to cooperate with the fixed plates 21 and 22; they are keyed on a hub 28 by 'u means of pins 27.

Plate 21 is provided with two openings 29 and 30 (Fig. 4) and plate 22, w1th one opening 31 (Fig. 5). Each rotatable plate '25 or 26 is provided with one opening 32 or 33 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5).

When plates 25 and 26 and hub 28 are rotated, chamber 23 is alternately connected with the atmosphere (through opening 32 and openings 29, and to -the inner space 85 of the drier (through openings 33 and 31)'. Of course, openings 32 and 33 are suitably disposed with respectto each other in order that the aforesaid connections vbe performed in succession and not at the same time.

Curved Scrapers 34 and 35 are arranged to friction on the upper face of plate 25 in the vicinity of the rear edges of openings 29 and and 30. They 'are supported by curved supports 36 and 37 fixed to plate 21. A similar 95 scraper 38 is arranged to friction on late 26 within chamber 23;.it is supported y a rod 38 (Figs. 4 and 6) which passes through an angularly elongated opening 40 provided in plate 21. A depressed area 41 is' provided 1' around opening 4() for the nut 42 and a small plate 43 tightly closes the same. Plate 43 1s supposedly removed in Fig.' 4.

Plate 25 is crown 44.

In operation, the pasty mud-like material to be treated is fed onto plate 25. It thus ac'A cumulates in front of Scrapers 34 and 35 due to the rotation of said plate. When opening 32 registers with an opening 29 or 30 of the fixed plate 21, the lmaterial falls into chamber 23. It then accumulates in front of scraper 38 and when openings 33 and 31 register, it falls into cylinder 5, through an opening 45 provided 1n the upper portion of the same.

The feeding-device described is air-tight and permits of operating under vacuum. It is simple in construction and particularly comprises no stu'fiing-box or the like.l It is efficient 4with muds of sticky nature which cannot be fed by pistons or valvesbecause they jam the former and stick under the seats of the latter.

It will be noted that in Fig. 4 ka second scraper-fixing device has been represented. This permits of arranging scraper 39 conv eniently for either direction of rotation of plate 33.

Parts 15 and 16 of the crushing set tend to be pushed apart by the material under treatment. The rotor is maintained against this action and also its longitudinal position is adjustable. This is obtained by means of two rollers 46 loose on shafts which are radially disposed with respect to the rotor. These shafts are supported by a fixed threefooted member 47 (Figs. 2 and 7). Each shaft-48.(Fig. 8) is integral with a plate 49 rovided with a tail 50 which fits into aradial ole of member 47. A screw 51 and a nut 52 lock tail 50 in any desired angular position. As shown,\tail 50 has its axis parallel to shaft 48,b11t not in line with the same. Thus, by rotating tail 50, roller 46 may be adjusted in position. p

Member 47 is provided with holes 53 and 54 for tubes 6 and 7.

Rollers 46 bear against a` crown 55 fixed to provided with a toothed driving end-plate 9.

through the end of cylinder 5.

L'umps of undried material are formed within cylinder 5. The smaller ones are dealt with by the crushing set 15-16 and do not interfere with the normal operation. But it may happen that the bigger do not travelV properly owing to their dimensions. To avoid this inconvenience, arms 56 are fixed to crown 55 so as to cooperate with the edges of opening 18 to crushany lump which may be present within said opening. A screen 90 is provided to avoid any projection of material The apparatus is heated by the doublewalled cylinder 5, as explained, and also by two double-walled semi-cylindrical steam heaters 57 which are placed around the rotor. These heaters are fed with steam through tubes 58 (Figs. 1 and 2).

The outlet of the dried material is effected by means of an intermediate hopper 59 and of two air-driven flap Valves 60 and 61. These valves are controlled by three-way cocks 62 and 63 and a third cock 64 controls the pressure within hop er 59. These three cocks are provided with our-toothed heads which are actuated by studs fixed on a wheel 65. This mechanism lhas been fully described in my aforesaid U. S. Patent No. 1,681,690 and needs no further explanation.

The driving shaft 66 (Fig. l) is provided with a worm-screw which drives a wormwheel 67 keyed on a shaft 68 which passes through end-cover 1 and, by means of a toothed pinion, drives a toothed crown 69 (Figs. 1 and 2) fixed to end-plate 8.

Shaft 66 is also provided with a bevel pinion 70 which drives a bevel crown 71 (Figs. l and 2) integral with the cock-controlling wheel o5.

Bevel crown 71 is keyed on a vertical shaft 72 which terminates into the casin 20. Its upper end is provided with a beve gear 73 which meshes with another bevel gear 74 keyed on the shaft of the helical guide 17.

Shaft 68 is rovided with a bevel gear which drives a evelgear 76 keyed on a vertical shaft 77 (Figs. l and 3) provided at its upper end with a pinion 78 meshing with crown 44. Shaft 77 may be raised by means of a fork 79 (Fig. 3) operating in a circular groove 80. Fork 79 is pivoted at 81 and may be controlled by means of a handle 82. When shaft 77 israised, pinion 78 is out of mesh with crown 44 and the feeding device is at a standstill. This permits ofstoppin the feeding device when the material to e treated has been wholly fed, without'at the same time stopping the rotor which dries the material still within the apparatus. The same result could be obtained by driving the feeding device by means of an individual motor.

I claim:

1. A drying apparatus comprising a tight casing; means within said casing to handle and dry the material introduced thereinto; an intermediate feeding chamber, said chamber having substantially horizontal u` per and lower walls, said walls being provided with holes, said lower wall'separating said chamber from the spacevwithin said casing and said upper wall separating saidchamber from the atmosphere; a first rotating plate in Contact with the upper face of said upper wall, said plate being provided with holes cooperating with the holes of said upper, wall; a second rotating plate co-axial with said first rotating plate and in contact with the upper face of said lower wall, said plate theholes of said lower wall; ahub on which both said rotating plates are keyed; a toothed crown fixed onto one of said rotating plates; a pinion meshing with said Crown to drive the same; and means to drive said pinion.

2. A drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 wherein the toothed driving crown is fixed onto the upper face of the first rotating plate and peripherically with the same in order to form a hopper to receivethe material to be fed into the apparatus.

3. In a dr ing apparatus as claimed in claim 1, fixed Scrapers arranged in contact with the upper faces of the rotating plates in such a way that owing to the rotation of said plates, the material to be fed accumulates substantially upon the holes-of the wall of 'the intermediate chamber and then falls therethrough when the holes of said rotating plates register with the holes of said walls.

4. A drying apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein means are provided to stop the rotary plates without at the same time stopping the means within the casing to handle and dry the material introduced thereinto.

5. A drying apparatus formed of several co-axial elements providing a zig-zag path for the material to be dried, said apparatus comprising an innermost xed cylinder re ceiving the material at one end; means to drive the material along said innermost cylinder from end to end; and a conical rotating element situated immediately exterior to said innermost cylinder said conical element loeing arranged to receive at Aits end of smaller diameter, the material discharged from said cylinder.

6. A drying apparatus as claimed in claim 5, wherein the conical element is provided with holes through which the smaller particles of material can fall directly onto the next element.

7. A drying apparatus comprising a rotor formed of several co-axial elements providing a zig-zag path for the material to be dried; a fixed casing within which said rotor is housed; meanscarried by said casing and means carried by said rotor, in mutual cooperation to crush the lumps of material passing from an element to the next one; means to rotatably support said rotor without, at the same time, maintaining it in longitudinal position; and adjustable means whereby said rotor is fixed at any desired longitudinal position.

8. A drying apparatus comprising a fixed casing; a rotor rotatable within said casing,

said rotor\being formed of several co-axial elements providing a zig-zag. path for the material to be dried and of end plates supporting said elements; means carried by said casing and means carried ,by said rotor in mutual cooperation to crush the lumps of material passing from an element to the next one; means to rotatably support said rotor without maintaining it in longitudinal position; and rollers radially carried by said casing to cooperate with the corresponding end plate of said rotor.

9. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 8, a roller supporting member comprising roller shafts adjustable in a direction axial with respect to the rotor.

10. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 8, a roller supporting member; crank shafts radially supported by said member, said crank shafts being angularly adjustable on said member and having their free throw arranged to rotatably support the rollers cooperating withthe rotor.

In testimony thereof, I aiiix my signature.

JEAN BAPTISTE VERNAY. 

